A novel method for developing low cost proteins for use in SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and assays
A CITF-funded study published in PLoS One, led by Drs. Marc-André Langlois and Allyson MacLean (University of Ottawa), demonstrated that agroinfiltration, a method to generate proteins in plants, could be used to produce the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
Two doses of COVID-19 vaccines were effective against infections in people living with HIV
A CITF-funded study published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases showed that two doses of COVID-19 vaccine were effective at protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infections in people living with HIV (PLWH) during the pre-Omicron era.
Most children in a Montreal serosurvey had antibodies against COVID-19
The latest results from the CITF-funded ENCORE study, led by Dr. Kate Zinszer (Université de Montréal), looking at seroprevalence among children and adolescents in Montreal, found that 58% of young children and teens had infection-acquired antibodies between May and September 2022.
Few breakthrough infections during the Omicron wave in Ontario
In the Journal of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada, researchers with the CITF-funded Safety and Efficacy of Preventative COVID Vaccines (STOPCoV) study reported a low rate of symptomatic or asymptomatic breakthrough infections (3.4%) of COVID-19 between January 17 to March 29, 2022.
Infection-acquired seroprevalence nears 70% in October: Canadian Blood Services.
Despite 100% of blood donors having vaccine-induced antibodies, infection-acquired seroprevalence continued to rise by the end of October 2022, to 67.3%, up from 63.2% at the end of September.
The risk of myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination remains low
In a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), Dr. Zaeema Naveed (British Columbia Centre for Disease Control) and colleagues from the CITF-funded Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN) found that the rates of myocarditis following a COVID-19 vaccine have been low, and that age, sex and the type of vaccine administered are important factors to consider to further reduce the risk of post-vaccination myocarditis.
COVID-19 vaccine coverage continues to be lower among pregnant people than within the general Ontario population
The 6th report from the CITF-funded Better Outcomes Registry & Network (BORN) Ontario study that has not been peer-reviewed, led by Dr. Deshayne Fell (University of Ottawa), shows that 78% of pregnant individuals in Ontario had received one or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy by the end of September 2022.
Seroprevalence and COVID-19 vaccination among correctional workers in Quebec
A CITF-funded study published in Frontiers in Public Health and led by Dr. Nadine Kronfli (McGill University Health Centre) showed that correctional officers were most likely to have acquired SARS-CoV-2 but least likely to be vaccinated when compared to all other correctional workers, underscoring the importance of addressing both occupational risks and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy to mitigate future outbreaks in the provincial prisons in Quebec.
Timely surveillance of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases in children showed recent increased circulation
In a preprint, not yet peer-reviewed, CITF-funded researcher Dr. Pascal Lavoie (University of British Columbia) and colleagues found that children in British Columbia have been more vulnerable to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) following a lull while protective measures were in place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.